As They Seem
by SabakuNoBrandye
Summary: He's back, Naruto has finally brought Sasuke back! And he's alive! But things...aren't really as they seem...


Hey, so this is a one shot; kinda long, but hey, that's cool. I don't know what else to say about it. There might be a few spelling or grammar mistakes, but take it or leave it. Arigato,

Ja ne,

SabakuNoBrandye

* * *

**As They Seem**

Two years, and countless failed retrieval missions later, Naruto finally returned with the, now lone, Uchiha prodigy.

Sakura was awaiting the Kyuubi holder's return in a tree, facing the Konohagakure gate. She was leaning into the curve of the branch, her eyes closed peacefully, when Naruto came forth from the gates. Once she heard them open, her eyes opened, then widened, at the sight before her.

Naruto, beaten and battered, looked as though he was struggling to carry himself, not to mention Sasuke, who was being held close and protectively to Naruto's chest. Sakura's eyes widened more, if possible, at seeing this. She began to shake, and her mind was racing.

'_Is he…?' _ She asked herself mentally. Her breath hitched and she began to shake more violently than before.

Sakura was just about to descend the tree when she heard a groan escape Naruto's lips, and he fell to his knees, then to the side, still clutching Uchiha Sasuke tightly. Sakura, upon seeing this, slipped, and fell; hitting her head on the branch she was once standing on.

"Naruto-kun…Sasuke-kun…" she whispered before black engulfed her.

* * *

She opened her eyes, and then closed them quickly as the rays of golden sun penetrated her unsuspecting pupils. Sakura opened them again, slower this time, and let her eyes adjust. Once that was done, and she could see, she sat up, only to be welcomed with a mind-splitting headache.

The pink-haired girl groaned and clutched her head in her hands, breathing deeply until the initial shock of the sudden pain was gone. She slowly lowered her hands from her head, now noticing where she was. On the back of her right hand was an IV, and two more beds were in the room, the one on the left containing a snoring, yellow-haired Uzumaki, and the one on the right containing a dark Uchiha, sitting up and staring out of the window.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered, as to not further aggravate her headache. The dark boy -almost man- turned slowly to face her and gave a smirk. "Hello, Sakura." He said simply, and then returned his gaze to the window.

"A-are you…feeling well?" She asked timidly and not looking into his eyes, scared that if she spoke too loudly, or looked into those pools of dark, he would disappear again.

Sasuke smirked at her again, he knew what she meant. "Yes, Sakura; He's gone. I killed him."

Sakura sighed, almost happily, at hearing this, at least, maybe, he wouldn't have a good reason to leave anymore, not that the first reason was very good in the first place…

She was just about to say something else to the boy, before the door to the large room clicked open and none other than the Hokage herself strolled in.

"Ohayo, Tsunade-sensai." Sakura said, directing her attention to the blonde-haired sennin. "Yo." Was the only reply she got.

"Headache, Sakura?" Tsunade asked her, turning to face Naruto. "Hai, sensai, thank you." Tsunade nodded as she felt of Naruto's forehead. "Are they going to be okay? I mean physically as well as…mentally." Sakura stole a quick glance at Sasuke as she said this, but returned her gaze to Tsunade as she replied to her question.

"They should be…you know Naruto, always bouncing back from everything; a few cups of ramen, and he'll be fine." They both chuckled and their gazes turned to Sasuke.

"Ramen won't fix me, but I'll be okay, too." Sasuke looked at Sakura for a moment, then looked back to the window. "When can we get out, Tsunade-sama?" He asked, sighing. Tsunade rubbed her temples and closed her eyes.

"Uchiha…You know you have been marked as a missing nin, don't you? I can't just let you go. You have to be brought before the elders, and have a trial, and even then I can't guarantee you will be aloud to reside in the village. You will need escorts, and even then I do-"

"Naruto-kun and I will do it!" Sakura burst out, interrupting the highest ranked ninja in Fire Country. She blushed and looked down and her hands folded in her lap.

"Gomen, Tsunade-sensai, I didn't mean to seem rude." Sakura's jade orbs shot up to Tsunade's golden-brown ones. "But can we, please, I think it would be best. Maybe he would feel better, and less tense, around people he knows."

Tsunade sighed and nodded. "I supposed you're right, Sakura, but I don't want you guys to be gallivanting around."

She turned to Sasuke. "Uchiha Sasuke, you are under house arrest, you are further more under the watch of chuunins Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. Any questions?" The hokage said sternly. Sasuke shook his head, remaining silent. "Good. You two, and Naruto," she said glancing at the yellow hair sticking out from the blanket on Naruto's bed, "may leave, as soon as you wish." With that the Godaime removed the IVs from both Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto didn't have one, and turned on her heel, leaving the room.

Sakura stretched her aching limps and get out of the bed. "Naruto-kun, wake up.." She cooed as she approached Naruto's bed and sat on the side next to him. Sakura poked his belly twice before the boy sat up, groaning. "Sakura-chan…I was dreaming; I finally got Sasuke an-"

He stopped when Sakura put a hand over his mouth and pointed happily at Sasuke. "Sasuke-teme! It wasn't a dream!"

Naruto, being his bouncing, bubbling self, pounced over Sakura's bed, to the gap between it and Sasuke's. "Naruto-kun, shhh!" Sakura ordered, clutching her head painfully. "Gomen, Sakura-chan." He gave an apologetic smile before returning his gaze to Sasuke.

"Ohayo, dobe." said Sasuke, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, preparing to stand. Naruto and Sakura were by his sides in an instant, helping him to stand. "I can do this myself." He said, almost rudely. He stepped away from them, as if to prove his point, and, as he said, he was fine without their help.

"Gomenasai, Sasuke-kun." Sakura apologized, clasping her hands in front of her and looking down at them. Naruto only crossed his arms and glared at him. Sasuke gave a half smirk, and began looking around for his clothes, which were laying on a chair, clean and folded. Underneath them were Naruto and Sakura's clothes, the latter's, he noticed, were different from the ones she wore when Team Seven was together. He picked up his own attire and the other two followed suit. The three paused for a moment, and the two boys looked at Sakura nervously,

"Don't worry, I'll go in the bathroom!" Sakura said, blushing and taking off in that direction, but not before giving Naruto a look that clearly said 'Watch him'. He gave a half smile, and both boys watched her walk off and shut the door behind her.

Sasuke continued to watch the door, as Naruto shed his hospital gown and don his normal orange and blue jumpsuit. "Naruto…Are you and Sakura…together?" Sasuke said after a few seconds. "Not…office..ially." He replied, trying to zip the zipper and fold over the tall collar. "But she has been…nicer, I guess you could say, to me these past few months." Sasuke nodded and pulled his short sleeved, blue, Uchiha crested shirt over the long sleeved white one. Just as both of them finished buttoning their pants, Sakura opened the door and came traipsing in.

Sasuke looked at her and smirked. To be honest, she looked good in her new choice of clothing. The red tank top and black cargo pants showed off her curves nicely, which, Sasuke also noted, had matured. Sakura blushed slightly when she saw Sasuke staring at her, and she turned away, pretending like she hadn't seen it.

"Are we all ready?" asked Naruto, obviously anxious to get out of the stuffy hospital, and out to the ramen stand.

"I am…Sasuke-kun?" Inquired Sakura, almost as anxious about getting out of the hospital as Naruto. "Hn" He replied, and Naruto opened the door, allowing Sasuke and Sakura out before him. The reunited trio walked through the halls of the hospital and past the front desk, Sakura pausing briefly to bid farewell to the receptionist.

Once out in the sun and fresh air, all three could breathe better. "Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun, we'll go to my house, ok?" Sakura said, feeling much happier in the warm rays of the sun, than in the cold, white hospital. "Hai, Sakura-chan!" Said Naruto happily. Sasuke only nodded.

They were almost to Sakura's house when a thought crossed her mind. 'Groceries'. She had been planning to go grocery shopping…sometime. "Hmm, Naruto-kun, can you go grocery shopping for me?" She asked sweetly, pulling out her wallet and handing it to him.

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan?" he asked seriously, lifting his gaze to Sasuke before quickly returning it to the pink haired girl in front of him.

Sakura bit her lip for a moment. "I think so…Sasuke-kun you don't mind, do you?" She asked, looking at the ground, instead of his face. "I don't care." He replied curtly. Naruto glared at Sasuke and was about to say something to him before Sakura cut in. "Ok, Naruto-kun, don't spend too much, and get more than just ramen!" and she pushed him towards the market.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun…my house isn't much further ahead." Sakura said quietly, again leading the way.

Once inside her home, Sakura and Sasuke took off their sandals, and the former made her way to the kitchen, with the latter still at her heels. "Tea, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, barely audible. "Hai, doozo." He replied, leaning against a wall where he could watch her work. She put the water on to boil and retrieved two cups from the cabinet, then turned to Sasuke, smiling faintly. She still wouldn't look into his eyes. Sasuke noted this, and felt a slight pang of annoyance. "Sakura, why won't you look at me?" He asked suddenly.

Sakura turned around, as if she didn't hear him, although they both knew that wasn't true. Sasuke's ever-present smirk turned into an outright frown. "Sakura…I asked you a question..." He said sternly, walking up behind her. Sakura gasped and attempted to elbow him in the stomach, remembering what happened the last time he stood behind her.

Sasuke blocked her elbow, and caught both of her wrists in one hand, turning her towards him. She struggled against his strong grasp, only to be rewarded with a firmer squeeze. "Why won't you look me in the eyes?" He asked again, more aggressively. Sakura only shook her head and looked down. Sasuke sighed angrily and roughly used his free hand to turn her face up to his, but her eyes still looked down. "Darn it, Sakura, look at me!" He seethed.

Finally she decided to comply, slowly, but surely. Her eyes scanned over his chest, neck, mouth, nose, and, finally, his eyes. Those dark, deep, almost scary eyes stared back at her angrily. She shut her eyes quickly, then opened them again. He was still there, his face only inches from her own. She slowly stopped trying to get away from him.

"You're still here…" she mumbled. He smirked, then pressed his lips against hers roughly. She began to pull back and struggle again, but he pinned her wrist against the cabinet above her, and backed her into the counter, wrapping his free arm around her waist. She stopped struggling and submitted to him, causing him to chuckle and deepen the kiss.

Eventually Sasuke pulled away from her, and she opened her eyes, utterly surprised. She opened her mouth to say something, but he interrupted her. "Keep quiet." He said, his features softening ever-so-slightly. She closed her mouth and gave him her best glare, which, surprisingly, was very good.

At just that moment, the front door opened and in came a cheerful Naruto, laden with grocery sacks. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme!" He called loudly. Sasuke released Sakura and backed up to the table, where he sat quietly, still staring at her. Naruto entered the kitchen and sat the groceries on the counter, while Sakura went back to her tea-making. "Sakura-chan, TenTen-chan asked me to tell you that Ino said that Fuzzy-brows wants you to meet him at the training ground tomorrow!" Naruto told Sakura, taking the cup of tea she offered him, and gulping it down. "Hai, arigato, Naruto." She replied, setting down a cup of tea in front of Sasuke.

Naruto chatted inconsistently at the two for fifteen minutes before he yawned and plopped down on Sakura's couch, sleep succumbing him instantly. An awkward silence passed between the two awake teens. The female of the two nervously stood and took the three empty tea cups to the sink.

"Sasuke-kun, are you tired? You're more than welcome to take a nap in my bed; I have some laundry to do." She said at last, reverting to looking at the floor instead of the dark-eyed boy she talked to.

Her only reply was a sharp nod and the scrape of the chair legs as he stood. She silently led him down the hallway and opened the door to her room. "There you go, Sasuke-kun; the bathroom is that door, there." she pointed to a door adjacent from the bed. "If you need me, I'll be in the laundry room across from the kitchen." With that, she turned to go, but was stopped when a strong, but gentle, hand gripped her wrist. "Sasuke..." She was cut off, yet again, by a deep, passionate kiss. A few seconds passed, and Sasuke pulled away from her. "Why do you keep kissing me like that, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura demanded, almost angrily. Sasuke's smirk appeared suddenly, making Sakura all the angrier. She tried to pull her arm from the Uchiha's grasp, but failed. "I'm sorry, Sakura." He said suddenly, stopping the girl's insistent squirming and yanking. His cool smirk was now replaced with a look of remorse and apology. Sakura looked deeply into his onyx orbs. She could clearly read them, for the first time since she had known him, he let her in. The only thing there… was pure sorrow.

The dark teenager released her. He walked to the bed and sat on the side of it, elbows resting on his knees and face in his hands. "I shouldn't have left you, Sakura." He was weeping. Uchiha Sasuke, last living member of the Uchiha clan, THE Uchiha Sasuke, was crying. Sakura could feel tears of her own welling up behind her eyes. She crawled onto the bed, behind Sasuke, and wrapped her arms around him. He didn't grow stiff, he didn't try to pull away, and he didn't try to stop crying. "I forgive you, Sasuke-kun. I understand, you had to do it." She rested her head on his back "No. That's just it. I didn't have to. I let my brother make me think I had to. It wasn't worth it, Sakura. It wasn't worth leaving Konoha, Naruto…Or you."

He turned around suddenly and put his hands on her shoulders, looking deeply into her tear-filled jade orbs. "It wasn't worth it, and I'm sorry." he said, his voice raspy and tired. Sakura smiled slightly and put her hands over his. "I forgive you now" was all she could say. Sasuke sighed and lowered his head, exhaustion evident in his posture. "You should sleep now, Sasuke-kun." He nodded and lay down on his side, clutching Sakura's hand gently. "Stay." He told her, though not demandingly. She smiled slightly and nodded, lying down with her back pressed against his chest. H wrapped his arms around her and she clasped her hands over his. "I love you, Sasuke-kun"

He was about to reply when everything went dark. "Sasuke-kun…SASUKE-KUN!" she screamed, terror evident in her voice. She opened her eyes and saw tree branches and a blue sky. "Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan…" cried a sad, broken voice. Sakura sat up immediately. "NO! NO!" She screamed, seeing the dead Sasuke cradled in Naruto's arms. It was a dream…and Sasuke…Sasuke was…

"Sakura-chan…I tried…He's…" She didn't hear the rest of what he was going to say, for she stood and ran; she ran all the way to the bridge where Team Seven had so often met…When everyone was okay, when everyone was happy, when everyone was together. She fell to her knees and leaned against the railing, facing the water. Her tears sent rippled throughout the placid surface of the water. The pink-haired girl sobbed for hours before she took a shuddering sigh and looked at her reflection in the water…But hers wasn't the only one there!

"S-Sasuke-k-kun?" she whispered quietly. A single tear rolled down the cheek of the reflection and hit the water, making one last ripple. Sakura gasped and turned around, glowing with happiness and overwhelming joy. That glow quickly dissipated when the only thing that greeted her was a soft, caressing breeze. As it hit the trees, Sakura thought she could hear a voice whispering through the leaves.

"_I love you"_


End file.
